Grain separating drum



Jan. 18, 1938. 1.. JOHNSON ET AL I GRAIN SEPARATING DRUM Filed Feb. 11, 1956 MN Su T u M? Eofl VRN NR] Patented Jan. 18, 1938 units!) states PATENT OFFICE Application February 11, 1936, Serial No. 63,349

2 Claims.

other kinds of grains, according to the varying lengths or general" formation thereof but not solely by the thickness thereof. In this specification and in the claims we use the term thick- I nessf to indicate, or to mean, the narrowest or smallest dimension of the grain kernel.

In accordance with our invention the drum is corrugated longitudinally to form, on the inner surface of the drum, long valleys and intervening ridges. These ridges may, and preferably are, extended from end to end of the operative surface of the drum. The nature of these novel corrugations and the functions that they perform will be more apparent after having first described more in detail a commercial form of the improved corrugated drum.

Referring to the drawing which illustrates the invention and wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of the improved drum some parts being broken away and some parts being sectioned.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view looking at the inner surface of the drum.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 4 is the section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3, some parts being broken away.

The drum illustrated comprises a sheet metal shell 5, and open heads 6 and 1. The drum, as is obvious, may be supported and operated in various different ways but may be assumed to be a drum of a grain separating machine of the type disclosed and claimed in the Ingraham Patent #2,015,400, dated Sept. 24, 1935. The drum of that machine is provided with indentations or pockets which reject long grain such as oats, for example, but pick up wheat and carry the same to a high elevation where the latter will be discharged from the pockets into a receiving trough thereby accomplishing the operation of relatively short from relatively long grain but irrespective of the thickness or smallest dimension of the grains. In a general way it may be assumed that the improved drum may be used as a substitute for the drum of the Ingraham patent but in which case with the improved compound val ley and ridge-forming corrugations the different type of separation above indicated, or hereinafter more fully described, will take place.

As best shown in Fig. 3, the drum is corrugated to form the valleys and intervening ridges. The valleys are deep and narrow and their walls diverge slightly so that the grain received therein will be gravity held but not frictionally held. The ridges 9 formed between the valleys 8 are also of novel design, and they extend from lines marked a to lines marked b. The valleys proper terminate on the lines a and the ridges begin on these lines and converge to lines D that form their salient angles. The width of the valleys 8 will vary in" difierent' machinesaccording to the kind of operations to be accomplished. If, for example, the function to be performed is the operation of thin or shrivelled or undeveloped oats from relatively thick and well developed oats then the valleys should be just wide enough to receive the relatively thin grain when the kernels are extended longitudinally in the valleys, but not wide enough to receive the relatively thick oats.

When the mixed or commingled grains of various thickness are fed into the drum, and the drum is rotated, the grain will be carried upward on the rising side of the drum and will roll backward over the ridges under the action of gravity. in

While the grain kernels, which we have assumed to be oats, get parallel to the valleys, the relatively thin cats will fall into the valleys and will be carried upward to a point high enough for the discharge into the receiving trough, not

shown, but which, as stated, would be provided in the machine of the type indicated.

It is important to note that the ridges 9 slant back from their salient edges 1) toward the two adjacent valleys, so that the oats or other grain rolling down the incline will tend to become parallel to the valleys. When the grain, assumed to be oats, get parallel to the valleys the shrivelled, poorly developed and relatively thin oats will drop into the valleys while the thick oats will not enter the valleys but will be rolled back toward the bottom of the drum. The ridges formed, as described, carry the grain in such a way as to prevent the grain caught in the valleys from being swept out of the valleys.

The thin or narrow grain, regardless of length, lodged in the valleys at the lower portion of the drum will, under the action of gravity, be held in the valleys until the valleys have reached an elevation at which gravity, instead of holding the grain in the valleys, will dislodge the grain and cause the same to be poured ou of the valleys and into the trough or catch receptacle within the drum. Under rotation of the drum, and especially when the drum is rotated at considerable speed, centrifugal force will also tend to hold the grain in the valleys; and in fact, the grain will be held in the valleys until the latter have reached such elevation and their walls changed their angular position in respect to vertical, to such an extent that gravity will overcome centrifugal force and the sliding friction of the grain and cause the same to slide or roll out of the valleys into the trough or receptacle. The diverging walls of the valleys, however, prevent the grain from being wedged and frictionally held in the valleys, and hence, the discharge thereof will be as above stated.

As has been stated, the valleys 8 actually terminate on the lines a. It will be understood that the width of the valleys is determined by the distance between the lines aa and that the reversely beveled, or inclined surfaces of the ridges are beyond said lines a.

With the valleys and ridges extended from, or approximately from, end to end of the operating surface of the drum, all of that drum surface is rendered effective for accomplishing. the operation by the thickness above described. Obviously, length of the grain or material does not enter into the operation, inasmuch as the thin long grain kernel will get into a valley as readily as a shorter one of the same thickness. This type of operation is highly important for the operation of not only thin and thick oats but thin and thick barley and thin and thick wheat or for the operation of different commingled grains wherein it is desired to take out of the mixture relatively thin grain irrespective of length.

What we claim is:

1. A grain separating drum having longitudinally extended, relatively narrow but flaring sub stantially symmetrical valleys adapted to receive grains transversely of their length and relatively wide and shallow intervening ridge-like portions adjoining the upper edges of the valley walls at angles thereto and providing oppositely inclined relatively long and flat rolling surfaces which are substantially symmetrical and on which grains are caused to roll about their longitudinal axes toward said valleys upon rotation of the drum.

2. A grain separating drum having .two alternate series of valleys and ribs which extend longitudinally thereof, the walls defining the valleys being substantially symmetrically arranged and flaring apart a distance slightly greater than the transverse dimensions of grains to be received therebetween from adjoining ribs and said ribs having oppositely inclined substantially symmetrically arranged wall portions each being of substantially greater width than the width of said valleys and of such heighth and inclination with respect to the valley walls as to provide substantially flat wall surface portions on which grains are caused to roll about their longitudinal axes toward the adjacent valleys depending from said portions upon rotation of the drum.

LEONARD JOHNSON. MARTIN A. RIEMAN. 

